Jose Fernandez strikes out eight in his Marlins debut

NEW YORK – Jose Fernandez did not disappoint in his major league debut.

He struck out eight batters in five innings, setting a Marlins club record for a pitcher making his major league debut.

The 20-year-old Cuban defector, who finished the 2012 season at the Class A level, allowed a run on three hits and one walk. He threw 80 pitches, 53 for strikes.

The Marlins were leading 3-1 in the sixth inning when AJ Ramos came on in relief.

Fernandez’s first pitch, a 93-mph fastball, was a called strike to Collin Cowgill, and it set the tone.

He tossed a 1-2-3 inning, throwing eight pitches (seven strikes) to induce fly outs to left, center and right field.

Fernandez struck out the side in the second inning, throwing 15 pitches, nine for strikes. His first strikeout victim was Ike Davis, looking at an 80-mph curveball. Mike Baxter and Lucas Duda both went down swinging.

He had 1-2-3 third inning, throwing 10 pitches, seven for strikes. (33-23)
He ran into a little trouble in the fourth inning after striking out Cowgill. Daniel Murphy singled.

David Wright struck out on three pitches. He looked at an 81-mph slider, fouled off a 97-mph fastball, then looked at an 82-mph curveball.

Fernandez walked the next batter, Davis, giving the Mets runners at first and second, before getting Baxter to hit a chopper back to the mound that he gloved and threw to first for the final out.

The Mets finally got to Fernandez in the fifth inning after Lucas Duda struck out. Ruben Tejada singled to left on a 3-2 slider. Anthony Recker followed with a double to score Tejada.

Fernandez then struck out pinch hitter Marlon Byrd for his eight strikeout. Cowgill popped out to second base to end the inning.

Fernandez — the youngest player in the majors on an Opening Day roster this year — was the 14th overall pick of the 2011 draft. He defected from Cuba in 2008.

Fernandez, who turns 21 on July 31, is the third-youngest Marlins player to make his debut after Miguel Cabrera (20 years, 63 days) and Giancarlo Stanton (20, 212).

With Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop, Sunday’s game marked the first time in franchise history the Marlins had two Cuban-born players in their starting lineup.

Fernandez’s last start in 2012 came in the Florida State League playoffs for the Class A Jupiter Hammerheads He allowed two hits over five scoreless innings against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Sunday was the 19th anniversary of a first start by another phenom. On April 7, 1984, 19-year-old Dwight Godden won his first game for the Mets.

Fernandez the other day said he planned to leave 15 to 20 tickets for family. He also said teachers and school officials at Alonso High School in Tampa planned to watch the game together on TV.

Last week, Fernandez said he planned to tell his 67-year-old grandmother, Olga, in Cuba about his first major league start after the game – because he calls her every Sunday, anyway.

But he said he and his mother told her on Friday in a conference call.

“She was like, ‘No, they can’t do that. You’re too young. They’re grown men. I still see you like you are 8 or 9.”